**TW: TORTURE/RAPE** **MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH** After Sally Sparrow gets captured by the fearsome Dragon, Sherlock Holmes, she doesn't expect the events that follow. One Shot. I would like to thank Nate for helping me write Sherlock's, and Moriarty's parts!

Rage, fire and the smell of burning is all that was in the air of Dale. Screams could be heard as he, the dragon Sherlock, burned down the city. To the girl, it seemed as if death would be coming early for her. She blocked out the screams of the men, women and children as they were burnt to a crisp. She sat in the town square, the last place anyone would go to when they were getting killed by a dragon seeking revenge. She sat on her knees, waiting for the dragons breath to consume her, and kill her in the least painful way possible. Her blonde hair hung limply over her shoulders as she waited. She heard the beating of wings, and she felt the movement of the air around her, and felt her hair move in the breeze. He was there to end her. She risked a glance at the dragon-man, taking in the features of her killer.

His flames licked at the feet of townspeople as they fled from him in fear. He made sure to incinerate everything there was in his path. His cold laughter was drowned by the cries of fear from the people as he killed them in cold blood. Sherlock made his way to the town square, ready to make his ultimate blow on the town. Then a strange sight appeared before him. It was a young girl sitting in the centre of the square. He frowned, wondering why this girl was not already running in fear from him.

"Are you that eager to meet your death then?" He asked smugly as he approached her. "After all, only a fool would sit in the open during a dragon attack,"

"And only a fool would spend their last moments screaming and trying to get free when all attempts at leaving would be futile," she murmured, placing her shaking hands against her thighs.

She kept her gaze away from him, ignoring the potentially malicious gaze he would be giving her. Her smooth lips were cracked from the heat caused by the inferno that was rising up around them. The roar of the flames drowned out all of the screams until it was the only thing left that could be heard. Ash sifted down from the sky, momentarily glowing orange before fizzling out and turning grey.

He chuckled slightly. She actually had a point, and that intrigued him. The thing that struck him as even more odd was his hesitation to kill her. Her willingness to meet death despite her apparent fear was new to him. And he liked it. It made his desire to kill her on the spot lessen.

"Well aren't you an interesting one?" He said, drawing closer until he was stood directly in front of her. "Tell me your name girl," he demanded, wanting to know more about this girl which was very out of character for him.

Still, he found himself enjoying this new kind of reaction, and wanted to experience it a little more.

She looked up at the man. Her soft russet eyes were full of fear. "My name is Sally Sparrow," she said calmly.

She had to stay as calm as she possibly could despite the fact that the dragon drove fear into the hearts of men, women and children. Her breaths shook as the hot ash in the air burnt her lungs. She looked down at the floor again, taking a deep breath as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Are you going to kill me now that you know my name?" She asked him.

She moved her hands into fists on her thighs but it didn't really work. They just kept shaking and shaking.

"Sally Sparrow," he repeated the name of his would-be victim out loud. He noticed her still shaking hands and laughed. "I would kill you, however I have never met someone who spoke with me so calmly before. You are an interesting specimen... And I think I like you," he smiled wickedly as he continued. "You'll be a fine addition to my collection,"

With that Sherlock took Sally into his arms, and with a great flap of his wings he took to the sky. The town was already in ruin, and there wasn't a single survivor to be seen. Pleased with himself, and his new prize, he flew back towards his mountain home.

Sally squeaked slightly in shock as he lifted her, grasping at his coat to keep her from falling down to the ground to her death. She felt the hot sting of tears forming in the back of her eyes, and then she felt the warmth rolling down her cheeks and dripping off of her chin. She was more terrified then she had ever been in her life, she knew that struggling to get out of his tight grasp wouldn't work as he'd probably just catch her again when or if she fell so she just stayed still in his grip. Maybe when she was inside of the Lonely Mountain she would be able to escape.

He went directly to the highest peak of the mountain. From there he made his way to the large room where he kept all of his treasure. Sherlock put the girl down and turned to the rest of his newly acquired gold. He took a few rings and stuck them onto his clawed fingers, forgetting about the girl in the process. He smiled as he raked through the gold, enjoying the feeling of the cool metal against his skin. He had done very well today. However, he still hungered for more. He would need to go on another outing very soon.

She stood on the cold stone floor, staring down at her bare feet and the torn fabric of her dress. She didn't look like a dragons 'pet' but she guessed that he didn't care, so she just stayed where she was and kept her mouth shut. She held her hands together, her fingers laced, at the front of her, looking very submissive which was how she was taught to be. Stay quiet, only speak when spoken to.

At that moment he picked up on a putrid scent in the air. He looked around for the source of the stench, and realised that it was the girl who he had taken from Dale. His upper lip curled in disgust, she looked absolutely appalling.

"You need to wash off that foul stench of yours," he said, taking her by the arm and dragging her from the room.

He lead her to what was once a fine looking bath house, but now was rather shabby yet still in use.

"Wash yourself up, I'll find you some decent attire," he said, shoving her inside. "I don't want that acrid stink tainting my gold. Make sure that you get every bit of it off,"

With that he turned and left to go and find something simple and clean for the girl to wear.

She nodded and walked under the stream of cold water after she had found bar of nice smelling soap. It smelled of flowers, which was odd seeing as the kingdom of Erebor was full of dwarves who didn't really use flowery soaps so it probably belonged to some other girl that he had stolen from another city that he had plundered for gold. She cleaned her hair and her body, eventually looking and smelling pretty good. By the side of the bath she was stood at she found a brush and began to get the knots out of her blonde hair. Next to the brush was a towel which she used to dry her body and got most of the moisture out of her hair with.

Sherlock found a simple dress for the girl, whose name was Sally Sparrow, he reminded himself. He walked back to the bath house and knocked before entering. He kept his gaze off the girl before tossing the dress to her.

"Get dressed, I'll be waiting out here," he said before leaving and closing the door behind him.

When he had entered he had picked up on the smell of flowers. He had forgotten that he still had that. There had been another woman before this girl, and she demanded decent soap and clothing. It was the only reason why he had soaps and dresses like that in the first place. The woman had died of starvation, as Sherlock had gotten too annoyed to even bother feeding her.

She quickly got dressed into the silk dress. It strained at her hips and bust, but sagged slightly at her waist. It wasn't the best of fits as the woman who had worn it before her had a different body shape and was taller than her. Luckily it was a better dress than the one she had originally worn. She made sure that her hair was tied up into a braid. She tied her hair off with a ribbon that he had given her that was in the same shade of crimson as her dress. She plucked up the courage to walk into the hallway where the dragon was waiting for her.

He looked her up and down before nodding in approval. She looked rather pretty when she wasn't covered in ash and dust.

"I'll take you to your room," he said, taking her arm and handling her roughly as he did before.

Sherlock led Sally down the hall and up a long staircase. Soon they reached a simple room that the woman before her had stayed in. Sherlock had made sure to clean it and get rid of the foul stench that had come from her death. It looked as good as new, and he saw fit to have his new prize stay there.

"I'll bring food for you later," he said before closing the door and locking her in the room.

Sally ran over to the door and banged on it, breaking down in tears before turning around and looking at the room. It was a nice room, but it wasn't for her. She would have rather stayed somewhere stone without a bed, or anything for comfort. But this was where she was going to stay. She stood up, getting off of the floor, and walked over to the bed before laying down on it. She sobbed into one of the many pillows. Eventually she stopped sobbing and just laid there, staring at the door with tear stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes.

Sherlock was actually rather hungry himself. He decided he would have his own dinner before bringing food to Sally. She was only a prize from a ruined village, not someone to dine and socialize with. He went to the great hall and had one of his enslaved dwarves bring him a large meal full of meat and breads. He devoured them all, not leaving a single bite left on his plate. Sherlock had a dwarf get him a small plate that consisted of some bread and a single chicken breast. He went up the staircase to her room, unlocking the door and walking inside. He saw Sally lying in a pathetic heap on her bed.

"Here's your dinner, and a glass of water," he said, putting the plate and glass down on the small table in her room.

Sally rolled onto her other side, her back to him.

"I'm not hungry," she said stubbornly.

She kept her back to him, especially since she really wasn't hungry. She just felt sick, a little homesick, and a little nauseous. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears rolled down her cheeks again. She didn't want to be there, she wanted to be dead with her family in the middle of Dale. She'd be somewhat happy then. Her breath's shook as she held back tears.

He scowled. He had actually tried to do something 'nice' for Sally, and this was how she thanked him.

"Fine, no dinner for you then," he said, snatching the dinner from the plate. He bit into it and finished it off in a couple of bites. "You can keep your water at least," he said, taking the plate.

Sherlock left the room, forgetting his own strength and causing the door to slam shut. He ignored it and had one of the dwarves take the plate before heading to his own quarters.

Sally whimpered when the door slammed. She closed her eyes and curled up on the bed, still wearing the dress. She fell asleep eventually, falling asleep quickly but she just didn't dream.

In the morning, she woke up. She got nudged by a female dwarf who had come to wake her and to help dress her. The female dwarf picked out a pale gold dress that looked like candle light. The sleeves rested on her shoulders and brushed the floor when she walked. Thankfully, the dress fit her properly, not being too tight or too baggy around her waist. It was perfect for her.

Sherlock awoke from a peaceful slumber. He had slept rather well that night, and then the memory of yesterday's events came back to him. He had enjoyed himself very much. There was also one other thing. He had gotten himself something, a prize. Oh right! Sally Sparrow was her name. He had taken her because she had intrigued him. He frowned, once again questioning himself. Why was that reason enough not to kill her? She was only a fragile mortal, after all. What did he care? He remembered the state of calm he had found her in. She had still obviously been afraid, but she hadn't fled in terror from him. Sherlock sighed, knowing he should probably check on her. He got up from his bed and got dressed. He made his way up the stair case and passed a female dwarf on the way. The dwarf informed him that she was awake and dressed. He nodded curtly to the dwarf and went to the door. He knocked but entered before he heard an answer.

"So you're awake then?" He said, not saying it as a question but as a statement.

"Yes," she said calmly, sitting on her bed.

She knew that the only way to get out of the place was to starve herself. He wouldn't let her go willingly; she kept her gaze down to the floor, staring at the lines joining the blocks of stone together. The satin of the dress was smooth against her rough palms, snagging slightly on her calluses.

Her lips were slightly parted as she stood up, keeping her gaze down to the floor. "When will you let me go?"

He snorted. He should have expected that question. The last woman asked that too.

"I won't," he replied with a cruel smile. "Where would you go anyway? You would only kill yourself. I can't allow a treasure like you to be lost so easily," he explained. "You're an interesting one, you know. You still aren't even showing any fear right now. Not many can do that. You can see why I like you,"

"Then you'll be expecting a dead body soon because I refuse to eat any of the food you give me, and I refuse to be near you," she smiled at him before leaving the room.

She walked through the halls of Erebor, trying to find somewhere where she could hide away and stay out of the line of fire caused by his wrath. After a while of looking around she found somewhere to hide away from her kidnapper.

He let her walk out of the room. He knew she wasn't going to leave. Still, she had just opened a way to a game of hide and seek. That was fun for him. He grinned and walked out, using his dragon senses to track her scent.

"I will find you, you know!" He called, his laughter echoing through the hall. "You can't hide from me forever,"

She whimpered, hiding away in the library. She hid in a pile of dusty books where she hoped that he wouldn't find her. She just wanted to be alone; where she could be at peace without him following her everywhere and making her feel like she was worthless.

Sherlock followed the girl's scent. It was pretty easily, since she was the first human to enter the halls of Erebor in a very long time. The scent of the woman before her had long since faded, so there was no confusion there. The Dragon King traced Sally's scent towards the west end of the castle, and he found himself at the doors to the library. An interesting place to hide. Sherlock rarely used the library, only going there to retrieve a large selection of books to bring to his own quarters.

He opened the doors slowly and walked inside. The library was still a bit dusty, the lesser used parts covered in cobwebs and dirt. The smell of musty old books was evident in the air. He started walking in further, looking for where Sally might be hiding. As he searched however, a sense of nostalgia came over him. He paused briefly, looking around as a memory of a much younger dragon Sherlock ran around looking for a new collection of books to read. Sherlock was drawn to one of the bookshelves, and he pulled a random book off the shelf. He opened it and saw that it was a book on human lore. After reading a few paragraphs, Sally was forgotten as Sherlock became absorbed into the book.

Sally pulled her knees up to her chest when she heard him enter the room. She had stopped sniffing so that he wouldn't hear how weak and feeble she actually was. She pulled out a book on the Lore of dragons so she knew the weaknesses of her captor if it really came to fighting her way out. She flipped through the pages of the book while blinking away some of her tears. She eventually tossed her book to the side, the leather bound book skidding across the floor and hitting Sherlock's clawed foot. When she saw that it did, she shrank back into the shadows, but her dress betrayed her. The shimmering gold didn't cover well in the shadows. She stood up and shuffled so that she was hidden behind a large shelf.

Sherlock was pulled back into reality when something collided with his foot. He looked down to see what had hit him. It was a book on dragon lore. He raised a brow, but then smiled knowingly. His little prize must have been reading that to find an advantage over him. He put his own book back on the shelf and turned, catching a brief glimpse of gold before it was suddenly pulled out of sight. Sherlock picked up the book and walked over to where Sally was hiding.

He held it out in front of him and asked, "Were you reading this, little bird?"

"N-no," she said nervously, looking up at the dragon in fear.

She had her back pressed up against the stone shelves and her hands shook like I don't know what. She ended up grasping at the long skirts of her dress as she began to panic. She was so very, very scared of the man who had kidnapped her. She took shaky breaths. "Y-you're not going to hurt me, are you?" She asked him shyly. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

Sherlock looked at the shaking girl. She looked even more fragile now, and her question managed to cut right to his stone cold heart. "No, I'm not," he said after a brief moment. He took his surroundings into consideration and he wondered about something.

"...Do you enjoy reading?" he asked, the question even surprising himself.

She nodded quickly, trying to calm the pounding of her heart which was similar to a small bird trapped in a cage and fighting to get free from its confines. She did enjoy reading; it was her favourite pass time. Her hands shook even more as he spoke to her in the most fear inducing way possible, in a calm way. She couldn't move from fear, almost catatonic.

He smiled a little, but it wasn't a cruel smile. He felt a little glad, and it showed in his eyes. "

Well, I'm sure you would be easily bored if I kept you locked in your room all the time," Sherlock said. "You're welcome in here anytime you like. Just don't make a mess."

Her fear was making Sherlock uneasy, much to his chagrin. He wanted her to be as calm as she was when he found her in Dale. He also hoped, for some reason, that she would fear him less after he gave her permission to use the library.

She nodded again, keeping her mouth shut. She looked away from her captor and down at the ground by her bare feet, and the close proximity that they were in.

"C-can I leave now?" She asked him with a slight whimper.

She bit down on her lower lip as she felt the fear for him lessen as he seemed to show her some kindness, which she didn't think that he usually did.

"I-I'll also need a new dress for tomorrow..." She whispered, keeping her gaze down to the floor.

He was about to respond that she still couldn't leave Erebor when he realized what she meant. They were indeed standing very close to each other, and he was blocking any exit she had. He felt his face redden slightly and stepped to the side.

"Yes. Explore the halls if you wish, but try not to get lost. If you do I'll have to come find you again," he said before she left the range of hearing his voice.

She looked down before curtsying to him, making brief eye contact before hurrying out of the room. Her blonde hair gradually fell out of the braid that it was in; the strands fell around her face. The hair framed her cheeks before she finally got too annoyed at it and just took it out of the braid, using the silver hairbrush that she had found to brush all of the knots out of her hair.

He watched her hurry out of the room in silence. Sherlock remained standing where he was for a moment. He looked around the barely used library, frowning a bit to himself. Choosing to contemplate his change in personality later, he went and ordered some of his dwarf slaves to clean up the library and make it neater for Sally. Once he did, he remembered Sally still had not eaten. He ordered a dwarf to bring her some food and instructed it not to leave the room until she ate every bite.

Finally, Sherlock went back to the shelf where he had found the book on human lore. Taking it into his hands, he returned to his quarters to read the book. It had been sometime since he had actually 'socialized' with a human before, and he wanted a refresher on their customs and behaviours.

She sat in her room in front of the gilded gold mirror that was in her room. She held the hairbrush in her hand as she ran the bristles through her waist length blonde hair. Every now and again she smoothed the hair down which had gone static and was floating away from her head slightly. When she heard the door open she completely froze up, thinking it was her captor. When it was a dwarf she relaxed and smiled softly. Her smile dropped when she saw the food it had brought for her.

"He wants me to eat doesn't he?" She said sadly before taking the food from the dwarf and ate it, despite not wanting to eat it.

Sherlock read for a little. A few hours later someone knocked on his door. It was one of his dwarf slaves, and it reported that Sally had eaten all her food. He nodded in approval and dismissed the dwarf. He soon decided he should check on Sally once more for the day. Sherlock also needed to let her know about the raid he was going to do in a few days, though he might not share that information with her just yet. He didn't want her to get any ideas.

Sherlock left his quarters and went up to the room where Sally was staying. For the first time since he had captured her, he decided to call her by name.

"Sally?" he said after knocking on the door.

In the book he had read, it was rather very rude to come into a room without knocking and waiting for a response. So he waited for her response after knocking once more.

She was reading one of the books that she had brought from the library, a good story, but some of the things she had read in there frightened her. She placed the book down on her dressing table in front of the mirror and went over to the door, opening it for him but she stayed in the doorway so that he couldn't come into the room.

"What do you want?" She said tiredly. She looked tired but he probably didn't care.

"That's no way to greet your keeper, and I was only checking in on you," he said a bit harshly.

He noted she was barring access to her room and rolled his eyes.

"Relax, I'm not going to come in. You'll have your last meal for today later this evening. That is all." He kept his tone cold, annoyed by the lack of respect coming from Sally.

"When you finish reading a book, return it to the library and put it in its exact location. If you don't do that, there will be a punishment," he threatened. With that he took his leave.

She closed the door after he had gone before going back to sitting at the dressing table. She opened the book back to the page she had left it at and began to read the story again. There were daring sword fights, a prince in disguise, love, and brutal murder. She just kept on reading, finding herself unable to stop reading the book. When she had finished reading the book she went back to the library and put the book back onto its shelf.

The dragon king went to the bath house and stripped before standing under the water. He closed his eyes, feeling the water wash away the tension and filth on his shoulders. He contemplated his recent actions. He was coming dangerously close to being soft. He was supposed to be a fearsome king, and he wanted to stay that way. Sherlock didn't want to give his prisoner the wrong idea.

Yes he had allowed her access to the library, but that was only so he could keep her sane. He didn't want to deal with a madwoman, because the mad were always the ones that pissed him off the most. Why hadn't he punished her for running from him today, though? He should have struck her in anger, but he hadn't. He had given her a little bit of freedom, but he needed to show her that it was still limited. He would keep on making her eat in her room, for he didn't think her worthy enough to dine with him.

He put on some robes and checked the time. It was close to evening, so he had a dwarf slave go prepare a small dinner for Sally. He went to the dining hall and ate his own dinner before retiring to his quarters for the night. The dwarf slave would bring dinner to Sally and he would have two other dwarves stand guard outside her door for the night.

Sally had left a small note on the dressing table for either her captor or one of the dwarves to bring her evening meal that explained that she was in the library doing some reading. She wasn't in the library doing some light reading, she was in the servants passage way finding her way out. The servants that were there didn't take much notice of the girl who was walking through towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Her cloak trailed along the uneven stone floor before she stepped out into the dank forest, breathing fresh air for the first time in what felt like forever. She took a few more tentative steps into the moonlit forest before hearing the distant howling of the warg.

He sat in his chair by the fireplace, already in a deep slumber. Hours had already passed and it was nearing midnight when Sherlock was awoken by banging on his door. He growled, wondering who dared to disturb him this late. He rose from his seat and went to the door, swinging it open. He saw a few of his dwarf slaves and glowered at them.

"You better have a very good reason for waking me up!" he shouted at them.

One of the dwarves explained that Sally had gone missing.

His eyes widened in a panic and he lifted the dwarf up with both hands. He pinned it against the wall, seething with anger.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'GONE MISSING'? Are you really so insolent that you allowed her to escape!?" The dwarf fumbled with his words but Sherlock ignored him.

"Fools! Get out of my sight. I will go search for the girl myself!" Fuming, Sherlock rushed down the hall until he came to the foyer.

He stepped outside and spread his wings, flapping them twice before taking off to the sky.

Sally walked through the forest path that she had found, but the fear she felt increased. She looked over her shoulder frequently, but she prayed that the warg were going in the complete opposite direction. And seeing as she was alone, she was susceptible to many things, especially since she was a female alone in the forest. Two men were walking down the path opposite her, grinning lecherously as they walked closer to her. In fear the girl stopped walking and the two men grabbed her. One man threw her down to the ground and pinned her hands above her head so that she wouldn't be able to get any leverage to get back onto her feet. The second man pushed the girls dress up her thighs before unlacing the crotch area of his trousers. Sally screamed for help, crying out as loudly as she could before the second man's hand clamped over her mouth, abruptly cutting off her screams as he began to do ungodly things to her body.

Sherlock flew through the night sky, anger the main source of his energy. It drove him to fly faster, and soon the sound of screams reached him. Locking on the location of the screams, Sherlock turned and swooped down towards it. As he got closer, in the moonlight he could see Sally being pinned down and raped by a man. He roared and immediately flew down to the man fucking her, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him hard against a tree. He shoved a fist into the second man's chest, and ripped out his heart, before kicking his body backwards.

He turned towards the first man who was now glaring at him in annoyance.

"DO you know who I am?" he asked the man, shaking in anger. "I am the Dragon King of Erebor! I am fire, I am death, I am...SHERLOCK!"

With that he darted forward, shoving him into the tree again. He squeezed his fingers hard around the man's neck, grinning madly as he watched the life leave his victim's eyes.

Sally shoved the dress back down over her thighs before scrambling to her feet and hiding from Sherlock. Absolutely terrified of his anger, and the wrath that was surely going to come raining down on her. She had tears rolling down her cheeks, and blood on her thighs from his slightly impressive tearing her while he forcibly shoved into her body. She knew that he would find her, he always did. But she knew he would punish her for trying to run away from him. Her whole body shook as she held in her sobs, but soon enough, she just broke down in tears. Sobbing into her hands.

Sherlock waited until the man went limp, and then let him drop to the base of the tree. He turned, immediately looking for Sally. She had gone, but her scent told Sherlock she was still close by. He walked to her hiding place and yanked her out by the arm.

He glared at her with such an icy fury as he spoke, "Are you stupid!? You could have gotten killed! This is why I don't want you leaving Erebor. It's far too dangerous for a young girl like you!"

He growled in anger, unfurling his wings and scooping Sally up into his arms. He flew up into the air and carried Sally back to Erebor in silence. Once they returned, he immediately brought her back to her room and shoved her inside.

"No meals for you tomorrow. You should be grateful I found you in time!" he growled before slamming the door shut and locking it.

She sobbed into her pillow when she was shoved into the room. Her thighs were sticky with her blood, and she desperately needed to wash it off of her skin. She pulled her dress off before lying in her bed and kept sobbing until she finally managed to fall asleep. It wasn't the nicest of dreams that she had. She dreamt that it was her dragon captor that raped her. She sniffed into the pillow while she slept, and sobbing quietly. And now, it was official, he absolutely hated her and she wouldn't be able to eat anything for a whole day, she probably wouldn't even be allowed out of her room.

He knew she was filthy and probably hurt from her ordeal. However, anger was still pulsing through the dragon king's veins, and he didn't want to take it out on her by hurting her more than she already was. He gave himself a minute to cool off, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. A minute later, he turned and unlocked the door. Sherlock opened the door and walked inside.

"Sally..." he looked at the girl laying in a sobbing heap on her bed.

He saw blood pooling underneath her and sighed, walking to her bedside. He realized she was sleeping, and probably didn't even hear him.

"Sally, wake up," he repeated again. He put a hand on her shoulder to shake her awake.

She was a very light sleeper, so when she felt the pressure of his hand against her arm she swatted him away and pulled her covers over her naked body.

"Why the hell are you in here?" She asked him, definitely annoyed that he was in her room while she was naked.

She looked embarrassed to say the least. She kept the blanket held tightly around her bare body so that he didn't see her, or the state that her body was in. It was covered in bruises, and deep cuts.

He scowled at her ungrateful attitude, but bit back a sharp retort.

"You're obviously hurt. So unless you want to sleep in your blood, I suggest you get washed up. Then I'll take you to an infirmary to get something for those wounds," he explained trying to keep his voice calm. "However, if you're going to have that attitude, I'll simply leave you to rot. Your choice."

He gave Sally a cold stare, despite the fact that he hoped she would comply.

"Then get out so I can put some clothes on, or at least turn your back," she said icily, waiting for him to either leave the room or just turn his back.

Either was fine. She just didn't want him watching her getting dressed, or seeing her naked for one thing. She gave up on waiting before just dropping the blanket and pulling a night dress type dress on which was in the wardrobe in her room.

He shrugged and turned his back, waiting for her to put something on. Once she was done, Sherlock went ahead and led her to the bath house.

"One of my dwarves will be in there should you need help bathing," he said as one of his dwarf slaves walked into the bath house. "It won't look unless you allow it to." With that he nodded to her and waited for her to go in and wash up.

She washed up on her own without the help of the dwarf because she was a mildly strong independent woman who did need a man to stop her from getting raped. She used the flowery soap to clean the dried blood off of her thighs, which hurt like a bitch, and when she was done she dried off and went outside of the bathing area, smelling fresh, but didn't look any happier. Her eyes were still slightly puffy from crying.

He sniffed a little at the smell of flowery soap. It was pleasant, though the smell of blood was equally pleasant to him as well. Sherlock did not handle her roughly; much less touch her this time. After she had swatted his hand away earlier, he had a feeling she didn't want to be touched.

"I'll lead you to the infirmary. Follow me," he said before turning and walking in the direction of the infirmary.

She sighed and followed him, knowing that nothing in the infirmary could heal getting mentally scarred for the rest of her life. And now, if he wanted to sell her off for more gold he couldn't, she was spoiled. Someone had already used her and that lowered her 'price'. She walked slowly behind him, looking down at the floor while sighing every now and again.

He heard her sighs, and they were starting to annoy him by the time they reached the infirmary.

"If you're done with your moping, I'd like to get your wounds seen to. Come on," he said before leading her inside.

He had her sit down before two medical dwarf slaves came to tend to Sally's wounds. He watched them work, making sure they didn't do anything that would harm her.

She did exactly what the dwarves told her to, lifting her arms when she was needed to, she was being a very compliant slave, just like he wanted her to be. Her spirit had died down when her freedom was taken from her. The dragon was going to kill her slowly by keeping her inside of the halls of Erebor. She would most likely die from starvation too.

He frowned as he saw Sally's spiritless posture. It disheartened him.

In an attempt to lift them even just a little, he said, "I don't intend to kill you. Though I am angry with you, I am also...relieved..." he said the last word as if it were a foreign language. "Relieved... That you are safe,"

He bit his tongue to stop himself from talking, but having forgotten that he had sharpened his teeth, he made his tongue bleed. He winced a little and swallowed the bit of blood that had trickled out of the small puncture wound on his tongue.

"Just don't do anything that foolish again," he finished.

It didn't lift them one bit. It just made things worse. She just stayed a spiritless slump, with no real reason to live other than to please him. The dwarves finished patching her up and left the room, leaving her and Sherlock alone. Sally just stayed sat in front of him. Her shoulders were slumped, her back was slouched and her head hung low. She was being very submissive about everything. She knew her only purpose being there was to entertain him, but how could she entertain him when all she wanted to do was die?

He sighed in exasperation. "I plan to go out the day after tomorrow...is there anything you want me to bring back to you?" he asked, hoping that would help a little bit. "It is another raid...but if you want something..." he made sure to sound genuine, because he did mean it.

After seeing her almost raped and killed, and then seeing her fragile state afterwards, Sherlock felt certain protectiveness about her. It was strange, but he wanted to keep her safe from anyone who might do her harm.

"No I do not, sir," she said tonelessly, it wasn't even like her voice, it was more of a monosyllabic drone.

She kept her shoulders and head down as she stood up, but her back was straight as a rod.

"May I be excused to my chambers now, sir?" She asked him quietly, expecting him to say no.

He probably would since he hadn't let her out of his sight, or the sight of his slaves. She held her hands in front of her, gently squeezing them as she stood in front of him. They were stood relatively close together, but not too close that there was an awkward amount of tension in the air between them.

He was slightly annoyed, but he decided to just give it a rest for now.

"Fine. I'll check on you tomorrow then," Sherlock said finally.

He had two of his dwarf slaves escort Sally back before he returned to his own quarters. She was frustrating him, and he wasn't completely sure why he was letting that affect him so much. She was only a mere human girl, wasn't she? No...Sherlock didn't even know anymore. He sighed and decided some sleep would do.

When she arrived at her room, she asked the two dwarves to lock her bedroom door so that she wouldn't be able to leave the room without having to unlock the door. She stripped out of her night dress; she didn't like sleeping in it, before climbing under the sheets of her bed. The bandages around her injuries were rough on her skin as she fell asleep.

Sherlock made a messy hand-scrawled note to Sally explaining that he was off on his raid today. He slipped it under her door before leaving Erebor. He spread his wings and flapped hard before lifting off into the air. He flew to a town that was a bit bigger than Dale. As a warning, he sent large flames across the sky of the town. Then he directed a few fireballs down to the ground itself, and the screams began. He grinned and started his destructive raid.

The dragon king flew down, destroying everything he could find. He let out a mighty roar before obliterating several of the town houses. Then he started towards the town square, but he hadn't expected soldiers to be waiting for him. They carried axes, broadswords, and even some had war hammers. He grinned, liking the idea of a challenge, even though it would be very hard for them to even scratch him. Sherlock fought against the soldiers, and heard the shouts of the one that was leading them. He engaged into battle with the general, but it turned out this human could actually bite back.

He didn't pay attention. He roared in pain as the general sliced through his side with a broadsword, leaving a huge gash in his flesh. Sherlock needed to escape. He couldn't stay. He took to the sky, howling in anger as he flew back towards Erebor. His flight was weak however, as he was losing blood. He managed to reach Erebor in time before collapsing in the entrance hall.

While waiting for him to return, to see if he had brought anything she had been speaking to one of the dwarf slaves. A few moments later Sally saw one of the dwarves running towards them with blood on their hands after trying to help. She got the dwarf to go to him, and that she would meet him at the entrance. She ran to the infirmary with her skirts bundled up in her hands and grabbed some bandages and a jug of water with a cloth to clean his injuries. Once she had collected all of her things, she ran to the hall and dropped down onto her knees beside Sherlock. She dipped the cloth into the water before gently dabbing the worst of his injuries with it, being extremely gentle because she knew just how much it hurts to get warm water into a cut.

Sherlock rolled over onto his back when his dwarf slaves came rushing to help him. He roared in pain as they tried to see to his wounds, and ended up lashing out at them. He knew they were only trying to help, but it still hurt like hell. He was still losing blood. The dwarves left and one of them came back to let him know Sally was coming. His eyes widened. Wouldn't she laugh if she saw him like this? In such a weakened state? Before he could protest, the dwarves had left and soon he saw Sally coming in his direction.

To his surprise. She had medical supplies and was already leaning down to help him. This confused him, and he was still a little embarrassed. As she started dabbing his wounds, he grunted in pain but tried hard not to lash out at her. She was trying to help, after all. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her expression in case it was one of amusement or worse, pity. He didn't want her pity.

She did pity him, his wounds were pretty deep, but the expression on her face was more of fear. Her hands shook as she wiped the blood from him and just gently dabbed at the wounds. She kept quiet while she cleaned him up, but she then began to stitch up the worst of them after making sure everything was all sterile, and then began to get all of his wounds stitched and bandaged. Picking up the bowl and bloodied cloth, she then stood up to go take the things back to the infirmary to get them cleaned. Her own hands were covered in his blood, so she quickly washed it off.

He bit his tongue to keep from roaring out in pain from Sally's touch. He focused on the pain caused by his teeth on his tongue since that wasn't even close to as bad as the pain in his side. He forgot to thank her before she got up to return to the infirmary. He sighed and had his dwarves help him up. Despite their size, they were still useful for keeping his legs in balance as he clutched his side. He walked slowly to his quarters, as not to upset his stitches too much. He let himself be sat in his armchair by the fireplace.

Sherlock was still a little surprised by Sally tending to his wounds instead of mocking him. Maybe she wasn't as weak as he thought. He needed to thank her, but for the moment he also needed rest. Before that however, he told his dwarves to make sure Sally had something to eat for dinner.

She stayed in the infirmary, mixing up a healing salve for him before bringing the small pot to him in his chamber. She knocked on the door nervously. She held the pot close to her body while she waited for him to give her permission to enter the room. She knew that he may not want to see her at the moment, but she still had to put the salve onto the wounds to stop them from getting infected. She sighed softly, remembering her time back in Dale where she worked as a medic for the people. She'd seen wounds worse than his, and sometimes she had not wept when some of her patients had lost their lives.

Sherlock frowned, wondering who was knocking at his door. Thinking it one of his slaves, he called out giving permission for them to enter. When he saw that it was Sally at the door, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why are you...?" he stopped when he noticed the pot in her hands. He had forgotten that salve needed to be applied to his wounds.

"Oh, I forgot about that," he said with a nod. "Come in."

She nodded before kneeling down in front of him.

"It may sting a little when it's on, but after the stinging it'll feel soothing," she murmured, explaining things to him before unwrapping his bandages

. She dipped two fingers into the disgusting, yellow-ish paste and dabbed it onto the wound.

"You should have been more careful, sir," she murmured, but she didn't look at him she was far too concentrated on his wounds and that she didn't hurt him.

She didn't want to hurt him.

He nodded as she explained the stinging. As he felt her fingers press on his wound, he winced a little, but kept calm. At her next words he snorted in contempt.

"I should have. I can't believe that man actually managed to get me. I must be getting soft..." he grumbled. "No matter, I'll destroy him next time."

He shook his head and winced again as the paste still stung on his flesh.

He watched her for a moment before asking, "Have you done this before? You seem like you know what you're doing."

"Back in Dale, I was a medic," she murmured, still smearing the paste onto him. "I was a good one too, most people ignored the others and came to me instead," she muttered. Sally kept wiping it over the stitches. "You really should be more careful, you could have died."

She managed to surprise herself by saying that, it made her sound like she cared. As a medic, yes she did care about his wellbeing, but as herself - not as a medic - she wasn't too sure if she did care for him.

"I see," said Sherlock.

He was rather impressed. Maybe Sally was more useful than he thought. The sincerity of her next statement surprised him. She sounded genuine, and he even noticed she wasn't as shaky. He realized he still hadn't thanked her.

Once she had finished with the pasting she began to wrap the wounds up again.

"I'll need to make up another paste for you tomorrow, and you'll have to clean the wounds," she said softly before tightening the bandage around him and tied it off.

She made sure that the bandage was secure before standing up in front of him. She softly stroked his cheek before seeing a small cut and wiping the paste onto it.

"The salve will help the wounds heal slightly faster too," she smiled.

He nodded in response as she spoke. He watched as she stood up and watched her reach out to him with a hand. He winced slightly as the paste stung on his cut cheek. He saw her give him a smile and found himself smiling back. This smile was one of genuine gratefulness.

"Thank you Sally..." he said again, looking at her curiously.

There was no sign of fear left in her eyes, as far as Sherlock could tell. And he was glad.

"I should go, I have to prepare a salve to put on the cuts that aren't as bad," she said as she picked the things that she had brought and held them close to her.

She looked down at him with a smile. "I hope you have a good evening sir, despite your injuries," she curtsied to him before walking out of his room and back to the infirmary.

She cleaned out the pot before finding the correct herbs for the weaker salve that he needed. The one she had previously made was too strong for them.

He nodded and said, "You as well."

He watched her go and sighed, relaxing in his seat. While his wounds had been cleaned up and the salve was working, his muscles were still very sore. He stretched out his legs and thought about Sally. She was already growing on him, but a part of him did blame her for his softness. That was justified, as he hadn't done anything to harm her since the night she had been raped and almost killed. Still, he hadn't felt any hesitation when doing the raid, so he couldn't have gotten too soft. He still had made a careless mistake however, and now he had to suffer for it. He hated it.

She walked around the infirmary, looking for the correct herbs and sighed. She only had half of the ones that she really needed but she would have to make do and make an even weaker salve for his cuts, unless she was able to make it more concentrated than the other one, which would take a bit of time. She groaned before getting the things that she needs to be able to make it more concentrated and started on the process.

Sherlock spend the next few days resting and recuperating from his injuries. He would get help from Sally and clean out his wounds himself. One night, Sherlock wondered if would be a good idea to let Sally have dinner with him. It would mean eating in a proper manner, but he thought it would be worth it to Sally. So he went to her room and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

She walked to the door with a hairbrush stuck in her hair. She had managed to get it stuck in her hair and she was now unable to get it out of the curls.

"Yeah, ignore the hairbrush," she said while opening the door and looking up at Sherlock. "How are your injuries, they're certainly looking a lot better than they were," she smiled.

He tried to hide a smile of amusement at the sight of the hairbrush and said, "They're fine now, thanks to you. I was going to invite you to dinner but it seems you're having some trouble at the moment..." he nodded to the brush tangled up into her hair. "Do you...do you want some assistance with that?" he offered, looking at her in concern.

"Um, yes please," she mumbled. "I can't get it out myself," she chuckled shyly.

Her smile then dropped. "You're not going to get it out yourself are you?" She asked him before going to sit at her dressing table. "And dinner, would be nice!" She smiled at him as she moved to begin to remove the hairbrush from her hair.

"If you don't mind..." he said walking over to her.

He gently took the handle of the brush with one hand and lifted it up a little so he could see the teeth and the offending knots. Carefully, he undid the knots and unwound them from the teeth on the brush.

"Got it," he said removing the hair brush and putting it on the table. "I thought you should have dinner in the dining hall for once. And... Some company would be nice," he explained.

"Depends, what would we be eating?" She said before picking the brush up.

She began to brush the knots out of her hair with her fingers while he stood behind her. She teased them out at first before getting the brush to smooth them out.

"And would I have to make myself look pretty for you while we have dinner?"

"I usually have dishes that consist entirely of meat, but this time it's a bit different. You'll have to wait and see," he smiled as he said the last part. At her last question, he said, "I would prefer it if you did. But it's up to you. At least look decent."

She nodded. "I guess I'll make myself look decent then," she stood up slowly before ushering him out of her room so she could go and get a bath and to make herself look pretty.

When she was done in the bathhouse she went back to her room and dried her hair and picked out the prettiest dress. It was a slightly sheer red fabric that had a gold shoulder guard and a gold belt that wrapped around her waist.

He nodded and went to his own quarters to make sure he looked good as well. He made sure his bandages were covered up before going back to the hall where Sally's room was. He waited patiently for her to finish so he could escort her to the dining hall. When she came out of her room, Sherlock's eyes widened slightly as he saw the dress she was wearing. It looked very beautiful on her, and Sherlock felt a smile creeping onto his lips.

"You look lovely," he complimented her.

He tried not to stare too long as not to come off as rude. He turned and led her to the dining hall. Once in the room, Sherlock walked to the table and pulled out a chair for Sally so she could sit.

"Thank you, Sherlock," she smiled before she followed him into the grand dining room that was obviously meant to be used for large feasts in the dwarven kingdom which were most likely held by the king. The gold on her dress clinked slightly as she sashayed through the halls. When she saw the chair pulled out she smiled at him before sitting down into the seat.

She gazed up at him for a moment before looking back down at the table.

Sherlock moved around to his seat and the dwarves brought in the entree. It was sliced turkey with cooked potatoes and a few vegetable dishes.

"I hope you enjoy this," he said with a smile. It was the first time his slaves had made a meal this large in a very long time, after all.

The dwarves poured wine for both him and Sally. Sherlock looked at her and said, "We have water, if you would prefer to drink that instead?"

"Wine is fine," she smiled before looking at the delicious scented dish. "It smells extravagant," she smiled at him, like an actual, proper smile.

One that she would give her parents when they were still alive. She held up her wine glass.

"To not being dead," she smirked faintly at him before sipping the wine.

Sherlock smiled, pleased that she was happy with his gift. When she held up the wine glass, he held up his as well. He chuckled a bit at her small joke before taking a sip of the wine himself. He took a few bites of his turkey before looking to Sally.

"Are you comfortable enough here?" he asked, wanting to check on her needs.

"I'm fine here," she smiled before beginning to eat her food. "It's lovely," she smiled at him. "The food is absolutely delicious too," she smiled before washing her mouthful down with some more wine.

"Glad to hear it," he said. "I did offer to get you something the other day, but I didn't due to my injury. Are you in need of anything?" Sherlock asked her after a moment.

"Oh, I've run out of herbs for you salves," she sighed. "And I do need to get them or your wounds will get infected, and if you get injured again I wont have anything to help you with,"

"I understand," he said as he thought for a moment. "There is a forest just outside of the town I plan to raid next. It should have the herbs you need, so you can collect them there until I am done. However, I will give you a weapon to defend yourself. How are you with a knife?"

"I'm fine with a knife, I was able to defend myself in Dale," she smiled faintly. "And thank you, for letting me collect the herbs I need in the forest," she glanced at him before taking another mouthful of turkey.

"Well you should be all right, as I doubt anyone would be focused on harming a young girl in the middle of a raid. Still, take the knife to be safe," said Sherlock thoughtfully. "However, if you already know how to fight with a knife, perhaps I could help you improve your skill in knife fighting. Only if you're interested though," he offered.

"No I think my knife fighting is good enough to fend off a few thugs," she smiled softly before finishing her food. She looked down at the table. "Which town will you be raiding?"

"A small town called Nicalisse. It'll be easy," he said with a grin. "I'll give you plenty of time to collect your herbs, so don't worry."

She nodded. "When will you be going on your raid?"

She looked down at her empty plate with a rueful sigh.

"In a couple of days," Sherlock replied, finishing off his plate. "Unless you think I should go sooner?"

"I think you should completely heal first before you go," she said with a faint smile. "But I'll need to find a basket to put the herbs into,"

"Hmm...well if you think that is what's best. But if you're running out of herbs, we should go soon," said Sherlock thoughtfully. "I suppose we could go to the forest tomorrow. I will go for you so you have protection, however. I'll have one of my dwarves find a basket for you."

"That would be nice," she smiled. "And you're going to escort me for protection? How chivalrous!" She faked a swoon with a tiny giggle. "So, do we have a desert?" She asked curiously, wondering if she'd be able to go to sleep soon. "And what time would we be going?"

He blushed furiously when she did a fake swoon. He bit back a shut up and was grateful for her next question. "We have an assortment of pies, if you're interested," Sherlock replied. "And perhaps around noon tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Noon tomorrow would be wonderful," she smiled at him. "Do you have a raspberry pie?"

She asked him with a smile, and wondered if she had a cloak and some trousers with a blouse to wear while going out on the prowl for herbs.

He nodded before sending one of the dwarf slaves to get a slice of raspberry pie from the kitchen.

While they were waiting he spoke, "I'll have my servants find you appropriate attire for the woods. I imagine it would be difficult in a dress, correct?"

"You'd be surprised how hard it is," she smiled before looking at the warm slice of pie and cream that was placed in front of her. "Thank you," she said to the dwarf before looking at him. "I think I have some clothes in my closet, I haven't looked yet,"

"Let one of my servants know if you need help," he said as he drank the last of his wine. He watched her eat the pie and said, "I don't normally eat pies and sweets like that. However I had my servants prepare a large variety of deserts for tonight's dinner. The rest are in storage in case you want some at another time."

She smiled at him, a very happy, genuine smile.

"Thank you, I think you're going to make this stay much better," she took another mouthful of the pie before looking down at it.

She finished it and smiled again. "This was delicious, Sherlock, really, thank you," she smiled again. "Is it alright if I am excused?"

He felt a genuine smile spread across his face, and he knew he meant it. He also noticed that was the first time she had called him Sherlock. That made him glad too. He ignored the nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him to wipe that stupid grin off his face and reprimand Sally for not calling him sir.

"It was my pleasure," he said. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight Sally,"

Internally, he was conflicted. He was experiencing a new kind of feeling towards this human girl. It was something like compassion, or love, or one of those 'happy' emotions. He wasn't sure. He was going soft. Sherlock realized even more that the raid would be good for him, so he could show his strength and power once more.

She slowly stood up before walking to the door.

"I hope you sleep well," she said over her shoulder before walking out of the room and into her own bedroom.

She closed the door behind her before going over to her wardrobe and finding a very nice outfit to wear to the woods. She found a pair of tight blue, high waisted trousers with knee length black boots. She also found a white blouse that would look very nice with the outfit. She found a matching velvet cloak and smiled.

Sherlock was dressed less formally and more for a trip through the forest. He needed no weapons, for he already had his sharp teeth, clawed hands, and the power of dragon fire. He waited in the foyer for Sally to come in. He would carry her to the forest, and then they would make the rest of the journey on foot.

When Sally was ready she walked to the foyer with her basket and in the outfit she had chosen. Seeing Sherlock, she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in thanks, she was so glad that Sherlock was letting her go out of the kingdom. Eventually she pulled away from him and smiled.

Sherlock smiled when he saw Sally approaching, but was taken by surprise when she hugged him. He awkwardly returned the hug, having never really hugged anyone before. Except maybe his mother when he was very young. Sherlock looked at her when she drew back.

"Shall we then?" He took her into his arms, gently this time, and took flight.

He went to a nearby forest that was full of the herbs Sally would need. He landed on the forest's edge and set Sally down. "Focus on finding the herbs. I'll let you know if there's any danger," he said before going with her into the forest.

She gripped onto his shoulders and the nape of his neck. The wind tugged on her hair as they soared through the clear blue sky with a few blue clouds lazily floating by. She dug her nails into his skin as they landed, feeling somewhat scared. When she was finally on her feet again she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek, in thanks and in apology for hurting his neck. She then ran off into the forest to find her herbs. She made sure to be extra careful to pick the non-poisonous herbs before hearing a faint squeaking. She initially thought that it was nothing, but then she heard it again and she knew that it wasn't her imagination. She stood up and followed the noise of the squeaking before finding herself in a small clearing.

Right in front of her was a wolf like dog laying in the center of a clearing with six puppies laying by it. The first thing she noticed on the mother was the red staining her fur and that she was completely lifeless. She let out a strangled cry that was awfully quiet before walking over to the animal and looking at the puppies. She sighed when she thought that they were all dead, then she heard the squeaking again. Looking down at them she noticed that the smallest of the puppies was still moving. She quickly removed her cloak and bundled the small animal up to keep it warm.

"Sherlock!" She screamed, she needed him to get her back to the kingdom so she could look after the puppy.

Sally surprised him again with the kiss on the cheek. He followed her, keeping an eye out and using his senses to be aware of everything around him. He did hear the squeaking, but dismissed it as an animal. He didn't need to bother with animals. Right now he needed to focus on protecting Sally. There didn't seem to be any apparent threats however, and Sherlock tried to relax. He only managed to do it slightly. Sherlock was looking up in the trees when he heard Sally scream his name. Instantly thinking there was danger, he darted forward to where Sally was, prepared to kill whatever it was that was threatening her. For the third time that day, Sally surprised him.

She was holding what looked like...a puppy? She seemed really worried about it. Sherlock smelled blood and looked behind Sally, seeing the dead dog and its pups. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I take it you want to take the pup back to Erebor?" He gave in and took the basket of herbs. "I'll carry this, you hold that pup." He held the basket in one hand and scooped Sally up in his other arm. Then he flew back towards Erebor.

She held onto the puppy in a somewhat firm grip but it was still gentle as she kept it close. She heard it whimpering in her arms but she kept a gentle hold on it. She could tell that it was less than a week old, but she understood that she would need to hand rear it if she was going to keep it alive. She softly held it in her arms and when the two of them entered Erebor she hastily unwrapped the bundle and looked at it, checking it over for any injuries and sighed when she found none.

Sherlock watched Sally looking at the puppy, making sure it wasn't injured and being careful with it. He was rather touched by this side of Sally, but it was evident she wanted to keep the puppy. He wasn't sure if he wanted a dog running about his halls, but she seemed to really like it.

"I don't mind you raising it, but at least keep it in your room at night. I don't need to hear yapping during my slumber," he said finally.

"I'll make sure that it doesn't disturb you, sir," she said quietly before standing up with the puppy held in her arms. "I think I will go and feed him," she smiled softly before going into the kitchen to find some milk for the small and frail animal.

And she was back to calling him sir again. He was worried he had offended her somehow. He went with her to the kitchen and watched as she got some food for the puppy.

A few moments later he said, "Forgive me...I've never had a 'pet' like that before. It will take some time, I suppose."

"No, no, its fine," she smiled before finding a container to feed the puppy from. She glanced at him and gestured to Sherlock for him to come over. "Come here, I need you to help me pick a name for him,"

Sherlock walked over hesitantly. While the pup seemed to have taken a liking to Sally, he wasn't sure how the pup would react to a fearsome king such as himself.

"A name...Well he was found in the forest closest to Erebor.. How about Erebus?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I like that," she smiled at Sherlock before looking to the puppy and feeding him. "You can help me look after him if you want to," she smiled at him.

He smiled and nodded. "I'll try to. Never done this before," he said.

Sherlock reached out to the puppy, doing what Sally had done and gave him a pat on the head. It yipped and licked his hand before going back to eating.

She smiled at Sherlock, leaning against him. "I think he likes you," she smiled at him in a caring way before showing him how to hold him when feeding him.

Sherlock awkwardly held the young pup in the way Sally showed him. He was nervous but he seemed to be doing all right. Sherlock felt Sally lean into him, which made him relax a little and smile at the puppy.

"This isn't too hard at all."

"Mm, you'll be a good pup rear-er with me," she chuckled softly to the man.

"You think so?" Sherlock turned his head to look at Sally with a fond smile.

She nodded. "I think so," she smiled at him.

She was growing to like her captor.

Sherlock smiled again and handed the pup back to Sally so she could finish feeding him.

"Perhaps I should postpone the raid so I can help with the pup..." he said after thinking for a moment, "I do still need to wait for my wounds to completely heal."

She nodded.

"That would be nice, and it would mean I could get to know the man who captured me a bit better," She smiled and held the small puppy in her arms. "I think this one is the runt of the litter," she murmured. "All of the others were dead..."

"Yes, it would..." he agreed. He studied the small pup as he listened to Sally speak. "I do feel sorry for it, which is one of the many new things I've been experiencing lately," he said in a soft voice.

She smiled. "What else have you been feeling, Sherlock?" She asked him curiously, treading lightly though so she didn't anger him.

Her question made him pause. He wondered if he should impart some of these to her. They were already developing some sort of bond, if he could call it that. Would it really be that inappropriate? A moment of silence passed before he answered.

"A few things. Most about you..." Sherlock looked at Sally as he continued, "It's strange really. I thought you were just some weak human girl with a bit of spirit that was easily breakable. But looking at you now..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I'm getting soft."

She was now blushing a very cute shade of pink. His words made her heart skip and leap in her chest. She felt the same way about him, but it was more of her being frightened that had diminished and she was now beginning to care for him.

"I don't regret my decision to keep you here. You've managed to soften my hardened exterior, and I admire you for that," he admitted. "That was why I wanted to go on another raid, though. I'm getting soft. I have a need to prove myself again."

She shook her head, "No, you don't need to prove that you're not getting soft to anyone, I think you're amazing just the way you are," she smiled faintly at him. Her russet eyes were soft as she looked up into his.

He snorted in contempt of himself. "It's not that simple. I'm a dragon king. I have an immense amount of power. Don't I have a right to display it?"

"You can display it in other ways without killing people," she gave him a sad look.

Sherlock drew out a long and heavy sigh. "I suppose I have some thinking to do..." he murmured.

He looked at Sally, and her big sad eyes pained him. He remembered what he had done to her. He had destroyed her home, killed her family, and taken her away and kept her in Erebor as a prisoner.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I took your life away from you. I understand if you still hate me a little."

She softly stroked his cheek. "I think I'll always hate you a little bit, but I think that with time I'll learn to forget that hate," she said quietly before turning her attention back to the puppy.

He had fallen asleep in her arms after being fed. She smiled down at him before getting the basket, taking the herbs out and put her cloak in it then she placed the small pup into one of the folds to keep him warm.

"Sleep well, Erebus," she murmured.

He nodded in understanding and watched her tuck the young pup in. He sighed and said, "I have to admit he does look...cute...like that."

She smiled softly. "He does," she said with a smile then that smile dropped. "Sherlock, I've been finding that my room has been getting quite cold at night..."

"If heat is a problem, then you may have my bed if you wish," he offered.

She gave him a confused look. "Where will you sleep?" She wasn't too sure if he wanted to share the bed with her or not.

"My bed is large enough for the both of us, unless you prefer to sleep alone?" he looked at her questioningly.

She looked slightly shocked at his offer. "When I sleep with other people I have a tendency to get rather close to them," she bit her lip.

"I wouldn't really mind that," he said with a small smile.

"Then I'll stay with you," she said shyly.

"Good," he smiled, feeling pleased with the decision.

Now he could be closer to her, and she him. The idea of that intrigued him, and he found himself wanting.

Then he added, "I do apologize for the lack of heating in your current room. I hadn't thought to open up a vent in there."

She smiled softly.

"It's okay," she smiled at him before picking up the puppies basket. "Is it okay if Erebus stays with us in your room?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he said as he stood up.

She nodded. "What time is it now?"

"After dusk, I believe," said Sherlock after thinking for a moment. "Tired?"

"Quite tired, the flying really takes it out of me, especially since I'm somewhat scared of heights,"

"You should have said, I would have flown lower," said Sherlock, looking at her. "I will fly closer to the ground from now on, if you prefer."

She nodded, "Thank you," she smiled. "Now, can I get some sleep?" She asked him nervously.

"Yes...but first.." he stepped forward and stole a kiss from Sally's lips, tasting her just once. "A kiss to bid you good night," he said with a smile

She gasped slightly in shock before blushing a very, very bright shade of pink. She just stood there in shock for a moment before biting her lip.

"Good night, Sherlock," she smiled before composing herself and going to their room with the puppy.

He smiled, thinking her cute when she blushed like that. Sherlock watched her leave, and stood for a moment before going to find one of his servants. He ordered a dwarf to clean up and go take care of Sally's old room. He decided to go to his quarters for the rest of the night, or rather their quarters now. He went to his dressing room and stripped down to a pair of bottoms meant for sleeping. Sherlock walked into the bedroom, wondering if Sally was already in.

Sally was already in the bedroom wearing a lightweight satin nightdress as she brushed the tangles out of her hair and began to do a long plait that fell down her back. When she had finally got the braid tied off with a piece of ribbon she stood up and climbed under the warm covers of the bed. She lay on her side slightly close to the edge to leave some extra room for him to sleep in with his wings.

He smiled as he saw Sally and slid into the bed. He folded his wings in as close as he could as he laid down on his stomach. He looked at Sally and asked, "Do you have enough room?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I don't take up much room when sleeping," she said simply before shuffling away from the edge of the bed and moved to lay so she was facing him.

"You're really handsome, you know," she said with a tiny smile.

"Nothing compared to the beautiful woman laying beside me," he said with a smile. He extended the wing closest to Sally over her, gently laying it on top of her, leaving her head exposed. "May I offer my wing for warmth?" He suggested.

She blushed slightly at his words before she nodded with a shy smile.

"Of course you can," she smiled softly as she shuffled closer to him again. "I hope you sleep well, Sherlock," she murmured as she closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams, my little bird," he whispered as he watched her fall asleep.

He smiled and found himself slipping into sleep as well. Sherlock started dreaming. He dreamed of the night Sally had been raped. This time, in the dream however, he was too late. He found Sally laying on the ground, lifeless, bloody, and pale. Her throat had been slit and her clothes were torn. Sherlock ran forward to her, scooping up the young woman into his arms.

"Sally, no" he whispered. "No!"

In the bed, his arms reached out and he pulled Sparrow into them, holding her close to his chest as he did in his dream.

"Sally, please, no!" he hugged her tightly, his embrace beginning to squeeze Sally a little. "Sally!"

Sally felt him pull her to him in her sleep. She then felt his arms tighten around her, it was almost painful on the bruises on her body so she woke up. While she woke up she began to hear him whimper her name. She shook him slightly to wake him, but didn't want to anger him by doing that, so she did it softly.

"Sherlock, it's okay..." She murmured to him, her breath brushing over his neck. "It's okay, I'm here, I'm safe..." She whispered to him to help sooth him as he slept.

In his dream, he heard a soft voice talking to him. It sounded like Sally, but as he wasn't aware he was dreaming, he was confused. The voice continued to speak, and Sherlock suddenly woke up.

"Sally?" he realized he had been squeezing her and loosened his hold on her. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "It was just a dream. Did I hurt you?" He pulled his head back so he could look at her properly.

She shook her hand and moved her hand to cup his cheek. "No, I'm alright Sherlock..." She murmured before softly kissing his cheek. "You should go back to sleep, you were having a nightmare," she whispered softly, her eyes searching his. She looked down at his lips before kissing his lips tenderly. "You won't lose me, I'll keep you safe during your sleep while you keep me safe when I leave here..." She murmured, her lips brushed against his as she spoke. "Unless, you want to talk about your dream..." She offered.

"It...it was about that night you ran away," he said. "But in the dream, I was too late." He sighed, not wanting to say anymore.

He didn't want to dwell on the dream, and Sally's memories of the night were just as bad as his.

"Thank you, Sally," he whispered, giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

She nodded slowly before returning his gentle kiss and wrapping her free arm around his waist.

"You can keep a hold of me while we sleep," she smiled at him as she closed her eyes again.

She hid her face by his neck so that he wouldn't accidentally burn her if he did breathe any fire at her in his sleep.

"Okay," he said as he smiled again. He closed his eyes, and held her close to him as he fell back to sleep.

She fell back to sleep. While she slept she traced small patterns over the bare skin of the small of his back. When she woke in the morning her hair had come out of it's plait and she nuzzled his neck softly.

He woke up slowly, momentarily confused by the mass of warmth against him. Then he remembered it was Sally and he smiled. He felt her shifting against him and gave her a kiss on the head. "Sleep well?" he asked after a moment.

"I slept much better than I would have," she muttered sleepily.

She was still half asleep but she had a puppy to feed. She untangled herself from his grasp and went over to the basket to check on the puppy. He was awake and yipping, obviously hungry.

"That's good," he said before he heard yapping from nearby.

He remembered they had gotten a puppy and pulled back so Sally could get up. He sat up in the bed, looking over to where Sally was.

"How is Erebus?" he asked.

"Hungry..." She murmured before calling for one of the servants to bring them some milk for their puppy.

She lifted him up before sitting next to Sherlock and holding their puppy.

"When he's old enough he'll be able to protect me,"

He raised a brow, looking down at the small pup in her arms.

"...That makes me a little jealous, to be honest," he said.

She smiled at Sherlock.

"You shouldn't be jealous, it means you can go on your raids," she smiled softly before kissing his nose.

A dwarf woman came in with the milk, handing it to Sally to feed the puppy with.

"That's true..." he agreed with that.

He watched fondly as Sally fed the pup and smiled.

"I think Erebus likes it here."

"I especially like it in this room," she smiled at him, kissing his cheek while the puppy kept drinking the milk.

"Glad to hear it," he said, and he really meant it.

Now he wasn't really seeing Sally as his captive anymore. She was more like...well something more than a friend. He wasn't sure what the right word was for her. Still, he was glad to hear she was happy. He reached out and patted the top of the puppy's head, scratching him behind the ears.

The puppy liked that and made a yipping sort of noise again. He pushed his head into Sherlocks hand and sally offered to let him hold Erebus.

"I think it's mainly because I feel much safer with you now than I did before..." She muttered, rested her head on Sherlock's shoulder.

Sherlock held the puppy carefully in his arms, and it cuddled into his chest. He couldn't help but smile, finding the pup's actions adorable.

He looked at Sally and said softly, "I'm sorry I frightened you before..."

"Mm, you still scare me but I'm gradually getting less frightened of you..." She murmured. She then realised that she was still wearing her night dress and went to pull on a pretty dress.

"Good," he felt pleased to hear that. He went ahead into his wardrobe and put on handsome robes for the day as well.

Sally looked at Erebus and smiled. He had fallen asleep. Sally was wearing a floor length dress in a pale blue that laced up at the back.

"Sherlock, will you lace me up?"

"Of course," he walked over and did the lace on the back of her dress.

He was tempted to kiss her, so he did, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a kiss on her neck.

"You look very beautiful in that," he whispered in her ear. "Just so you know."

She whimpered slightly. "Sherlock, thank you," she muttered.

His lips against her neck sent shivers through her body. She felt something stir in her lower body and a dampening between her legs. She felt the muscles in her lower body tense up slightly in anticipation for something more to happen. She moved her hands to rest over his before tilting her head to the side to give him more room to kiss.

He smiled at the invitation, kissing her more, moving down to the bare base of her neck not covered by the fabric of her dress. He licked her neck a bit more, tasting her skin as he brought a hand up to her breast and squeezed it. He massaged her breast while holding her to him with one arm.

"Do you like that?" he asked in a seductive whisper.

She nodded, her lips parted. Her breathing was becoming erratic, and her heart was beginning to pound in her chest.

"I do like that," she kept one of her hands over his as he massaged one of her medium sized breasts which fit perfectly into his hand.

Her head tipped back against his shoulder and her eyes closed. She had a slight frown of concentration on her face as she focused on the feeling of his hand squeezing her breast.

"Good," he purred before squeezing harder.

He made a sexy growl as he moved down to undo Sparrow's lace with her teeth.

"I know you just put it on, but I'd like it off," he said tugging her dress back down.

He squeezed her breasts harder, the thin fabric of her undergarments making it easier for him to grope her. He pinched her nipples, biting down on her shoulder.

"I want you," he whispered lustily.

She let out an involuntary whimper and stepped out of her dress before kicking it to the side. "I want you too," she breathed, pushing her chest out so that her breasts filled his hands.

"I need you," she purred before turning around to face him.

Her pupils dilated from the lust of wanting him. She moved forwards and pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulled him so that they fell onto the bed together with him laying above her between her parted thighs.

"Excellent," he growled again, pinning her down and kissing her more aggressively.

He moved down, cupping her round breasts and licking her nipples, He slid a hand down to her leg, stroking her inner thigh before teasing her clit. "I know you want it," he said as he undid his pants.

"I'm gonna make you sing, little bird," he said in a husky tone before entering her.

As he first pushed into her she felt a slight discomfort, but as time trickled by and his movements into her became more and more desperate the discomfort vanished. Sally found herself moving her hips to meet his, begging him to go harder into him which he did for her. He wanted to make her sing, and well, he really did. Her back arched from the pleasure and with each of his hard thrusts she moaned out. She dragged her nails down his back which leaving red, puckered marks. She felt herself edge closer and closer to her orgasm. The room that they were occupying was filled with the sounds of panting and moans from the both of them. How rude of them to be making sweet, and not so tender, love in the presence of a puppy. When she came she called out his name. Sherlock pulled out of her just before he came spilling his hot white juices over her torso. He shouted out her name which echoed through the halls.

After a while Sherlock laid beside her while Sally wiped the fluid off of her torso with her nightgown which was the only thing that she was able to grab. Once she was done she rolled over onto her side and gazed at Sherlock again. She didn't know what she was feeling, but she liked it.

He smiled as he looked at Sally's beautiful body.

"I love you," he whispered.

And it wasn't just because they had just had sex, he really did love her. He loved her for everything she was.

"Really, I love you," he said with extra sincerity in his voice.

She looked at him and smiled. "I love you too," she whispered. "You're the only man I have ever loved..."

She muttered as she shuffled closer to him and ran her fingers over his cheekbones. She tenderly kissed his lips.

"And I'm glad that you stole me from Dale..."

"And I'm glad I have you all to myself," he whispered, kissing her back.

He smiled warmly at her and pulled her into a close and gentle embrace.

She rested her head by his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'm all yours," she murmured, tracing small patterns over the muscle of his chest as he held her close to him. "I'm glad you pulled out too..." She murmured.

"So am I...I'm not ready for you to be pregnant," he said. "We're already taking care of a puppy." He smiled wryly and said, "He's probably glad we're done making so much noise."

She laughed. "I'm glad we're done making so much noise!"

She joked before nuzzling his neck and shuffling to check on Erebus in his basket. "All he does is sleep and eat!" She giggled. "The perfect life!"

She stroked him softly and went back to Sherlock to cuddle.

She frowned. "So, we should go shopping some time together to get me some clothes that actually fit me,"

He nodded in agreement.

"That might not actually be a bad idea," he said. "How about tomorrow? I just want to relax and be with you today," he suggested.

She nodded. "Yes, that seems good to me," she smiled.

Sally pulled on an article of his clothing so she didn't get too cold before curling up under the furs and covers of the bed.

"We can have a nice lazy day in bed," she smiled at him.

"Ah...but we need breakfast don't we?" He said before frowning and looking towards the window. "Well I suppose we would have lunch instead. Perhaps I can have my servants bring food to us in here?" he asked as he looked back to Sally.

She nodded. "Or we could cook something together, if you want to that is?" She suggested.

She knew of a simple meal that would suit the two of them. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him; she softly stroked one of his wings. She felt the scales of his wings under her hands and sighed.

"In fact, get the servants to bring some food," she smiled and kissed his lips softly.

He chuckled and said, "I'm afraid I don't know how to cook." He smiled and shuddered a bit as she stroked his wings. "Careful, you might get me going again," he said flirtatiously.

He returned the kiss and nodded. He got up momentarily to go outside and get a dwarf slave to bring them food before returning to bed with Sally.

"Should be here shortly," he said, cuddling up with her again.

"Your wings are beautiful you know," she murmured, still stroking them but she eventually stopped stroking them so that they could get comfortable in each others arms.

She shuffled slightly before moving so that he could wrap his arms around her in a protective manner and keep her safe. She leaned forwards and kissed his lips softly and quickly before resting her head against his shoulder.

"When you first brought me here I wanted to leave, but now I never want to leave your side,"

He held her and stroked her hair with one hand. He just smiled and kissed her gently, saying thank you with his eyes. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door and a dwarf came in with lunch for them. Sherlock sat up straight more and pulled the two trays closer to them.

"Hungry?" he asked as he picked up a bit of chicken from his plate.

She eyed him sceptically. "You're not going to feed me yourself, are you?" She squinted at him before sitting up in the bed and looked at the food.

She picked up a piece of chicken too and bit into it. It was delicious. She pressed a quick kiss to Sherlock's cheek before making herself a chicken salad sandwich with some slightly spicy sauce to make it more exciting for her.

"Would it be bad if I wanted to?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled when she kissed his cheek and took a bite of his steak.

"Mm... It would be kind of creepy," she chuckled softly before eating some more of her chicken sandwich. "But if it wasn't you doing it I'd be scared,"

"Hmm, maybe some other time then," said Sherlock.

Erebus smelled the food and started yipping again, wanting to get up on the bed.

"Should we let him join us?" he asked Sally curiously

She laughed and looked at the little puppy with his wagging tail.

"I think we should," she smiled at him before crawling over to lift Erebus into the bed, giving Sherlock a very nice view of her butt, her naked butt.

He grinned, seeing Sally's butt.

"Love the view," he said with a smirk as he watched her pick up Erebus.

Sally looked at him and laughed, "You can look, but don't touch," she winked before placing Erebus into her lap.

"Shame," he said, still smiling.

Sherlock waited until Sally was back in the spot next to him before giving the pup a pat on the head.

"Is it safe to give him a small taste of our food?" Sherlock asked Sally.

"Mm, depends on how old he is, just a tiny bit of the meat," she nodded before getting him some chicken and feeding it to Erebus.

She laughed as he wolfed it down.

"He's a cutie," she giggled.

"Indeed," he said giving him a tiny bit of his steak. "He's certainly got an appetite," he observed with a chuckle.

"He does," she kissed Erebus' head before kissing Sherlock's lips softly. "I think we're going to be good for each other,"

"I agree, my little bird," he said kissing her back gently.

Erebus barked and wiggled himself in the small spot between Sally and Sherlock. This brought a smile to Sherlock's lips and he said, "I think Erebus is jealous."

Sally laughed. "I think he is!" Sally lifted him up and played with Erebus, flopping back onto the bed and let Erebus walk around on her stomach when she placed him there. "This is the second time I've been on my back today,"

Sherlock watched Erebus curl up on Sally's stomach and tuck his nose underneath his paws. He smiled and rubbed the puppy's back softly before drawing his hand back and putting his now empty tray on the table beside his bed.

"You might not be able to move for a while," he said looking at the napping Erebus.

"Well, I wouldn't be able to move for a while if you were on top of me either," she winked at him before softly stroking Erebus' soft fur.

She smiled lovingly at their puppy.

"He's like a child," she chuckled. "And as I said earlier all he ever does is eat and sleep," she muttered, sitting up slowly so that the pup slipped down to her thighs.

"Hmm...maybe I should take advantage of this," said Sherlock sliding an arm around her waist, leaning in closer to her.

"You shouldn't move much. Don't want to disturb little Erebus,"

"And what are you going to do to me?" She purred, giving him some sexy eyes, but then looked at their little dog.

She placed a hand on his thigh, kissing him softly.

"Hmm..." he slid a hand up her side and rubbed a finger over one of her nipples.

"Maybe play with your beautiful breasts?" he said suggestively, kissing her on the neck.

She laughed slightly. "That might lead to other things, dragon," she purred, but she didn't object to it.

She pushed her hair over her shoulder so that he didn't get a mouthful of hair as he kissed her neck. She slipped her hand up his thigh, cupping his play area.

He grinned and whispered, "I can't help it. I like hearing your sweet moans," he suddenly gave her nipple a hard pinch and started fondling her breast.

She gasped as he did. Her nipple hardened under his pinch, poking against his hand.

"They're not that sweet," she breathed before putting her hand over his as he fondled her.

"Want me to stop?" he asked, pausing in his movements.

"Just for a moment," she purred before picking Erebus up and placed him back into his bed.

She shoved Sherlock onto his back and straddled his hips.

"Hmm, are you going to do something to me, little bird?" he asked teasingly, looking into her eyes.

He rested his hands on her thighs, rubbing each of them with a thumb.

"Depends on if you want to frighten your servants," she smirked at him before kissing him softly, leaning forwards so she could do that. She rested her hands either side of his head so she didn't flop onto him. She pulled her lips away from his slowly. "You and I should go for a walk through our halls."

"Hmm, I haven't really shown you much of the place, have I?" he said thoughtfully. "Good idea."

"Now that's a way to kill a mood!" She laughed before getting off of him and getting back into her sky blue dress.

He shrugged and got into some clean clothes. "We can't stay in bed all day. These wings need to be stretched. How about a fly?" he suggested.

She looked at him panicked. "Not for me! Unless you want to go to the town and get me some new clothes," she batted her eyelashes at him as she struggled to lace her dress up. "Will you lace me up again,"

"Ah right, you're afraid of heights aren't you? I apologize," he said before going over to lace the back of her dress up again. "We can walk to town if you would prefer?"

"As long as you keep me safe and warm," she smiled at him and looked over her shoulder to him. "You can fly with me, just as long as you don't drop me,"

"All right, I'll still stay close to the ground for you," said Sherlock as he walked out of their room with her.

They went to the outside and Sherlock lifted her up into his arms. He held her in a protective embrace and lifted up into the air using his powerful wings.

"Don't worry, I got you little bird," he said before flying to town.

She kept a tight grip on him. "Please, oh please, don't drop me dragon," she whimpered and tightened her grip on him.

She tried ever so hard to not look down at the ground as it sped passed her. She breathed in his scent to try to comfort her as he flew with her.

"You did bring money with you, right?"

"Yes, don't worry. We have plenty to buy you whatever you want," said Sherlock.

As soon as they reached the outskirts of town, Sherlock landed and put on the large coat he had carried on one arm. It covered his tightly folded in wings so he wouldn't scare anyone.

She looked at him and sighed. "You're beautiful Sherlock," she kissed him softly before offering him her hand so they looked like a somewhat normal couple instead of a dragon-overlord and a tiny medic.

She pulled him into the streets and found a tailors. She tried on all kinds of clothes, dresses, trousers and coats before settling on the more simple clothes and some wintry clothes. The coat she had found was fur with a big and fluffy fur collar.

Being of the male species, Sherlock wasn't as into shopping as Sally was. Still, he showed his support gave his opinion when needed.

"You look good in that coat," he said when she tried on the large furry coat.

"I should do, it's cozy," she laughed slightly before kissing him slowly and softly.

While she was doing that she stole Sherlock's coin purse to buy the things she had bought.

Sherlock chuckled when he realized what she had done. "You're a sly one, little bird. I don't mind however. The money is for you after all."

He smiled and kissed her on the forehead before letting her go pay.

She smiled before paying for the things and turning back to him.

"They're gonna deliver the things soon, or we can get the dwarves to retrieve them,"

He frowned and said, "I would rather my dwarves retrieve them. I don't fancy deliverymen showing up on my doorstep."

She nodded.

"We'll get them to retrieve them then," she smiled softly at him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Our doorstep, technically,"

"No you're right, it is OUR doorstep," he said returning the smile. He then asked, "Do you want to go back or is there something else you want to do?"

"I want to look at the man I fell in love with some more," she smiled faintly at him as she pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose because she was so adorable.

"Like what you see?" he asked, quirking a sexy eyebrow.

He grinned again and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"I always like what I see with you," she purred in a seductive manner against his perfectly shaped lips. "You're mine, dragon,"

"And you're mine, little bird," he whispered back with a slight growl, holding her against his body.

She stayed close to him, pressing her hips against his before kissing him roughly, but deeply.

He smiled against her lips before kissing her hungrily.

He drew back slightly to say in a husky tone, "Careful, you might make me take you right here and now."

"Wouldn't be a bad thing," she growled before kissing him again.

She just wanted him again, it was sort of like she wouldn't be able to get enough of him before her time runs out.

He kept his kisses passionate, attacking her lips aggressively with his own to keep the pleasure going. She tasted sweet and blissful, everything he wanted at once. He held her more possessively as he continued kissing her, not caring that they were out in public.

She tilted her head to the side to deepen their aggressive kiss. She ran her hands through the thick curls of his hair and parted her lips. Her breathing was heavy and needy, just like she was. She was in need of Sherlock to keep kissing her; to make her feel like a real woman.

"Oh you've done it now, little bird," growled Sherlock.

He quickly took her by the hand and led her out of the town. Then he flew back to Erebor, landing in the entrance hall.

He kept her in his arms and gave her a smouldering look. "Fancy a shower?"

She stripped in front of him and smirked.

"Does this answer your question?" She purred before pressed her body against his and kissing him again. "I want you to fuck me until I scream," she growled against his lips as she pulled on his hair.

"With pleasure," he growled in a sexy manner, carrying her into the bathouse.

He shoved her underneath the stream of water to make her literally wet before joining her. He grinned and put her arms around his neck. He lifted her up by the upper thighs, pressing her against the wall. He began kissing her aggressively and hungrily again, squeezing and groping her breasts as he pressed himself against her.

"Beg for more," he hissed in her ear as he pushed into her.

She grasped his hair when he shoved himself into her, begging him to move in and out. She wanted him to make her cry out from the pleasure. And by 'cry out' she wants to scream out his name to the heavens so that everyone in Erebor knows that she is only going to be his, and only his.

He pumped hard, in and out of her. He wanted to make her eyes roll into the back of her head as she came, when she did. He grunted in pleasure as he worked her clit, a guttural growl coming from his own throat. He squeezed her breast as he fucked her, feeling the climax coming on.

Her climax built up inside of her. The muscles in her legs and pelvis began to tense as she dragged her nails down her lovers back. When she finally found her release her head tipped back against the hard stone was and she cried out Sherlock's name like it was a gift given to her by the gods from the pleasure of her release. Her muscles relaxed as her orgasm washed over her body. She breathed hard and fast, hoping to calm her erratic breaths.

Sherlock came, his own orgasm blossoming inside of her hot entrance causing it to be filled with fluid. He panted hard, and after a moment he slowed his penetration so they could both breathe.

"Oh God, Sally. You are fantastic," he murmured, smiling and giving her a more gentle kiss on the lips.

She smiled softly against his lips, resting her hands over his chest.

"I may be fantastic, but you did just come inside of me," she muttered slightly grumpily.

She didn't want to have a child just yet. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her forehead against his, gazing into his bright blue eyes.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he said.

He looked at her for a few long moments.

Finally he said, "Let's get out of the shower...I think I'm a little too wet." He chuckled a bit.

She chuckled. "I may get myself clean before joining you wherever," she said as she reached for some soap.

A few months had passed. Sherlock had been enjoying his life with Sally inside their large, yet empty palace. Sherlock woke Sally up one winter morning with a mug of hot chocolate. He nudged her awake, sliding into the bed with her holding a tray that had two cups of hot chocolate on it.

"Wake up Sally," he said gently.

She grumbled grumpily, not happy at the thought of being pulled out of her very cute dream of the two of them.

"Mm... Honey... It's too early," she grumbled before the scent of the hot chocolate filled her nostrils.

She opened one eye a slit and smiled at it. "Did you make this?" She asked when she finally had both eyes open and was sat up, smelling the air of cinnamon dusted hot chocolate

"With a little help...but yes," he said with a smile. "Hope you like it."

He handed Sally's mug to her and looked at her hopefully. It was the first time he had ever made hot chocolate, and he was directed by the dwarves, but everything was done himself.

She looked at Sherlock with an adoring smile before sipping the hot chocolate and by god did she think that it was delicious.

"This is really good!" She exclaimed before sipping it again.

It was like heaven in her mouth.

He beamed brightly at her.

"Glad to hear it!" he said before drinking his own hot chocolate.

It really was delicious. He sat with her as he drank his hot chocolate and smiled at the love of his life.

"It's snowing outside, by the way," he said after another sip of his drink. "The first snow of the winter."

She smiled at him and kept sipping it slowly so that she didn't burn herself on it.

"You need to wake me up every morning with this hot chocolate," she smiled before having an idea. "We should go on a walk together through the forest," she smiled at him before placing her empty mug down onto the tray when she was done.

"I'll try to," he said with a smile. He raised a brow at her suggestion and said, "Might not be a bad idea. It's been a while since I did that in the winter time."

He drank the last of his hot chocolate and had a dwarf collect their tray and stuff.

She smiled before crawling out of the bed to pull her winter clothes on. Thick fur lined boots, woollen trousers and her heavy fur coat. She looked very cute, and somewhat innocent. "So, how do I look?" She smiled at him as she gave him a twirl.

"I prefer you naked, to be honest. But you look very nice like that," he said with a chuckle.

He got into his own winter clothes and said, "If you get cold just say the word. I'm a dragon king, I come with fire." He grinned and spat out a small flame which dissipated quickly after it left his mouth. "Ready?"

"I think I'll be cozy enough in my coat and boots," she smiled at him before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I need to find some gloves..." She frowned slightly before looking through the wardrobe to find her gloves.

"You can always hold my hand," he pointed out, even though he knew she meant for both hands. He waited patiently until she was ready.

She grabbed her gloves. "I'm going to hold your hand anyway," she smiled at him.

"Excellent," he said taking her by the hand.

He led her out of the castle and then took into her arms briefly.

"It'll only be a moment, promise," he said before lifting off the ground and flying down to the forested area below.

He set her down as soon as they landed and kissed her on the nose.

"You okay?" he asked her, making sure she wasn't too panicked from their brief flight.

She nodded, holding him tightly.

"Yeah," she said before relaxing and smiling at him. She kissed his nose softly before offering him her hand.

"So, you and me shall go on a cute walk through the forest?" She asked him with a smile.

She had other plans for what they'll do in the forest.

"We shall," he said taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

He walked with her into the forest and they went along a snowy path. "Warm enough?" Sherlock asked her.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly cosy!" She nodded before letting go of his hand and running to hide behind a tree, making a snowball when she was out of his sight.

Sherlock frowned when Sally suddenly ran off and left his sight. He was rather confused and looked around wondering where she had gone.

"Sally?" he called out, hoping it wasn't anything bad.

She looked around the trunk of the tree before throwing the snowball at him, hitting his arm before hiding again. She giggled slightly which would obviously give away her position.

He felt something hit him and whirled around. He saw snow on the shoulder of his coat and then heard a giggle.

Seeing what Sally was doing, he grinned evilly and said, "Oh my dear you shouldn't have done that. Are you sure you want to fight against the great dragon king?" He laughed playfully and quickly made a snowball of his own.

He aimed where he had heard the giggle from and threw the snowball.

Sally giggled as she heard his little speech, then stopped when she got hit with a snowball, on the boob. She made another one and threw it before running to hide behind another tree.

Sherlock quickly ducked behind a snow covered bush and made several snowballs. He waited, trying to get Sally to come out so he could catch her off guard.

She ran behind the trees and got into a position where she would be able to see Sherlock, then threw a snowball at him, hiding again.

The snowball took him by surprise, but Sherlock was quick to react. He grabbed one of his snowballs and turned around hurling it in Sally's direction. He grabbed a few more and started looking for Sally so he could throw another one at her.

She kept running from tree to tree before finding a tree with a low branch and began to climb it with a few snowballs in her pockets.

Sherlock quickly followed Sally's movement with his eyes and saw her climbing a tree. Quickly, he moved within range and threw one of his snowballs up at her, in case it missed, he through a second one soon afterwards.

She got hit by both of the snowballs and fell from the tree, falling backwards to the ground before she was caught by something or someone. Initially she thought it was Sherlock who had caught her, but then realised that they were flying too fast, and too high for her. So she screamed.

Moriarty was a lone dragon who loved the taste of blood and women. He was on one of his hunts, flying over the lands near what was once Erebor. He was hunting for someone specific, this time. Over the past few months he had noticed Erebor's resident dragon had a new 'pet.' He had gotten close one night to get a brief glimpse of the dragon king's new 'pet' but saw that it was in fact, a human girl. Moriarty, ever the jealous type, wanted her for himself. He had been waiting for a chance to take her, and now he had one.

He could hear laughter in the forest below, and saw the human girl and the dragon king romping in the snow. He was disgusted at how soft Sherlock had become. Moriarty didn't think the dragon king deserved the girl. He swooped lower, staying hidden in the trees. Then his moment came. The human girl was climbing a tree, and when she was hit by two snowballs thrown by SHerlock, the girl fell from the tree. Moriarty darted forward, catching her and snatching her away from the forest. He held her tight in his arms as he flew back into the air.

Sherlock's eyes blazed with fury as he saw his Sally get taken. Immediately he went into pursuit of the kidnapper, flying as fast as he could. Moriarty looked over his shoulder and laughed when he saw Sherlock coming after him. Moriarty held his captive tight with one arm and used the other to shoot a long jet of flame at the dragon king. Sherlock dodged, but moved right into the path of another blast of fire. It scorched his wing, causing him to cry out in agony. He roared and tried to continue his pursuit, but Moriarty had already gained a lot of distance. Sherlock flew as long as he could, but his burnt wing didn't hold out for long.

Sally screamed, trying to get out of his grasp and dragged her nails, which had grown considerably in the time between cutting them so they were still quite long and sharp. She managed to leave deep gouges down his chest and down his cheek as she tried in vain to get out of his grasp. Eventually she gave up on trying to get out of his grip. Soon enough they had lost Sherlock and she was taken to Moriarty's home in another mountain where she was thrown to the ground, injuring her collarbone.

Moriarty eyed the human girl on the floor in front of him.

"So, you're the dragon king's new pet, now are you?" he sneered, walking to her. "Get up. Let me look at you," he ordered her.

Instead of waiting though, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up to a standing position.

Looking at her face, he snorted and said, "I see why he likes you. Such a pretty little face." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "You're mine now though."

She looked at him in fear. The same fear that shredded through her heart when she first met the man she loved. She felt the hot prickling of tears coming to her eyes as she stared at the man.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" She asked him shakily.

She sniffed before wiping the tears from her eyes and stared at him, trying to muster some courage to get through whatever pain he was going to bring to Sally.

"Hmm, well I have a few ideas," said Moriarty with a smirk.

He had a feeling that the dragon king would try to come after him, so Moriarty knew he wouldn't have forever. However, the idea of the look on Sherlock's face when he saw what Moriarty had done to her fascinated him. It made him excited, and he grinned.

"First I'll play with you, have my fun. I'm sure your precious dragon will be coming for you, and I look forward to see his reaction when he sees you after I'm through with you," said Moriarty. "You will call me Master, and nothing else. Understand?"

"Yes, master," she said in a defeated tone.

She was frightened, and wanted to be back home in the walls of Erebor with Erebus and Sherlock cuddling up in front of the fire. The thought of Sherlock coming to save her comforted her, but that didn't mean that she was any less scared of what was going to happen to her. Her heart was broken and she was scared. She knew something bad was going to happen to her if she disobeyed the man who kidnapped her.

"I'm sure he gave you a nice bed and everything, but here you get a cold cell. Unlike him, I am not soft in any way," said Moriarty.

He took both her wrists and held them behind her back as he walked her to his dungeons. They went into an empty cell and Moriarty closed the door behind them.

"Get undressed so I can put these shackles on you. I can't have you trying to escape," he said. "Do it now!"

"Yes, master," she whimpered when he yelled and began to strip out of her clothes.

She first removed her gloves, then her coat. She quickly removed her boots and trousers before removing the rest of her clothes until she was stood naked in front of him, offering him her wrists. She definitely knew that nothing good was going to happen to her now.

He took her wrists and attached them to the shackles that were hanging from the ceiling. He walked to one side of the room and pulled a lever that caused the chains holding her wrists to lift her a few inches off the ground so her feet couldn't reach the floor. He went back to her, circling her in a predatory manner. Then he licked his lips before licking his finger and sliding it down her spine and to her naked ass.

"Such soft skin," he purred. "Too bad it can't stay."

There was a table on the side of the room that had several torture devices. He took the whipped and walked so he was standing behind her. Then without warning, he lashed out with the whip, striking her back hard. He did it a second time, and then a third, and over and over again until he made her scream.

She screamed and begged him to stop after each lashing to her back. The skin there split and blood trickled down her back and over her behind. The warm liquid smelled of iron, as the scent filled the air. Sally writhed about from the pain of getting whipped, wanting to have her feet against the floor but she couldn't even reach it. The metal shackles around her wrists bit into the skin, causing them to bleed.

He laughed, taking pleasure in her pain. Moriarty lowered the whip and walked close to her back. He looked at the deep welts he had put into her back and smiled.

"That's much better, don't you think?" he said, not really expecting an answer.

He kissed an untouched spot on her shoulder before using his tongue to run it over one of the welts on her back.

"Mm, delicious," he said. "Your blood is very sweet tasting. I love it."

She cried out from the stinging that his tongue caused. The gouges in her back were much more painful as his tongue slid over the deep cuts.

"Master, please, stop!" She begged him again, needing him to stop bringing her pain.

"Had enough?" he asked with a grin. "Sorry to disappoint you my dear, but I'm the one who gives the orders here. Remember that!"

He stepped back to smack her in the ass. He spanked her again, harder this time. He stopped to wrap an arm around her waist, grabbing her boob and squeezing it hard. He gave her nipple a tight pinch and held her breast roughly in his hand. He slid his other hand down to her clit and started rubbing it slowly.

"You may have had a lot of freedom with him, but with me, you have none. Remember that," he hissed in her ear as he continued rubbing her clit.

He stuck two fingers inside, getting more aggressive with his strokes. He quickly removed his fingers to stimulate her, before giving her breast another hard squeeze.

"Mine," he said kissing her neck and biting down on it.

Sally sobbed as his hands moved over her body, and his fingers pushed into her body. He wasn't as soft as Sherlock, or as caring. His roughness reminded her of the two men who had raped her in the forest when she had first tried to escape Sherlock. She kept sobbing, waiting for him to finally shove himself into her and get all of this over and done with. Sure, her body welcomed his fingers and groping but she didn't want it. She did not want him to be touching her or doing anything to her.

He gave one of the gashes on her back another lick before going to the table. He took the metal poker and heated up the tip with his own dragon fire. Grinning, he turned back to Sally and went to her.

"See this? I'm going to burn you. I like hearing you scream, after all," he said with a cruel smile.

He reached up and gripped the hair on the back of her head tightly. He tilted her head back and pressed the poker against the side of her neck. He made sure the hot metal went in deep before he lifted it from her skin. He paused to take a look at her, sliding a finger between her breasts and to her stomach.

"I got a better idea."

Moriarty turned and went to the table, wrapping a cloth around one end of the poker and setting it on fire. He went back to Sally and brought the flaming end dangerously close to her clit.

"Spread those legs for me," he said with an evil grin.

She did as he said, parting her thighs for him while she stared at the flaming poker that was getting disgustingly close to her. She watched as he held it close to her, feeling her heart pounding against her chest as she began to cry again. She felt the heat against her bare skin.

Moriarty chuckled darkly, watching her for a few minutes as he held the poker where it was. Finally he pulled it back and stamped out the flame. He put the poker back and went to Sally, eyeing her hungrily. "Mmm, I almost don't want to kill you because you were so much fun today. However, I'm not one for keeping humans alive for very long. I'll wait for your dragon to arrive before I kill you. I want to see him break," he said thoughtfully. "It really has been a pleasure though, my dear." He grabbed her ass, pulling her to him and giving her a rough kiss on the neck. He squeezed and groped her breast hard as he suckled on her neck, wanting to taste her once more. "So delicious," he growled. "It'll be better once I slice through that pretty neck of yours." He grinned darkly and backed away. "I'll be back for you soon, my pet."

A day and a half passed since Sally was captured, she was refused her most basic of human rights in her capture.

Sherlock finally reached the top of Moriarty's mountain. He stood in front of the gates to his palace, feeling renewed fury course through him. He shoved opened the doors with ease, storming inside. He let out a roar, letting Moriarty know he had arrived. He hoped Sally was still alive, and if she wasn't, Moriarty would pay.

Sally's arms were numb, having not been moved from the position she was in. Her knees were weak and she was barely conscious. Moriarty hadn't fed her in the days that she had been stuck with him. She had lost weight; her ribs were poking through her skin, so he could see the bones. Her cheeks were sunken and her eyes had bags under them. The dungeon she was in smelled of urine and faeces, her own. Her hair was limp, she was going to die. Just like she wanted to now, she didn't think that Sherlock would even come to her, and doubted that he ever loved her.

Moriarty made sure to leave a fresh track as he made his way back to the dungeon. Sherlock had just arrived, and he was ready with a dagger in hand. He walked into Sally's cell, grinning cruelly at the limp girl hanging by her wrists. He walked around her, gripping the dagger hilt. He heard Sherlock's footsteps nearing. Moriarty grabbed Sally's hair and tilted her head back just as Sherlock came into the room. In one swift movement, he drew a deep gash across Sally's throat, killing her before Sherlock's eyes.

Sherlock let out a roar of agony and pain. He was lost in a mad rage as he lunged towards Moriarty. He spat fire and grabbed Moriarty by the neck. The other dragon laughed, and the two grappled with each other in the cell. With a fire in his eyes, Sherlock raised a clawed hand and dug it straight into Moriarty's chest. He ripped out his heart, literally. He let Moriarty drop to the ground, dead. Then he turned towards Sally's limp body. It was too late. She was gone. Sherlock fell to his knees, pain and guilt and anger and regret washing over him all at once.

In her final moments, Sally watched as Sherlock killed her attacker, her kidnapper and her killer. She took in a few shallow breaths as she felt the blood pouring over her chest and the front of her body. A faint smile came to her lips when she saw Sherlock tear out his heart, she was proud of him. Her eyes fluttered shut. Before her last breath passed her lips and everything went black for her, then her heart finally stopped, oblivious to everything happening around her dead body.

Sherlock got to his feet and approached the dead body of his love. He was still angry, at both Moriarty and himself. He saw the wounds on her back and the blood stains on the floor beneath her. Moriarty was dead, and so was Sally. He was alone again. Sherlock did not want to leave her body in this place however. He undid the shackles and held her motionless body in his arms. He carried her outside and took to the sky, flying back to Erebor in silence.

Upon his return, he did everything himself. He cleaned the bloodstains off her body and put her in a dress because he did not think it proper for her to be buried naked. His dwarves helped him put her in a coffin and bury the body in an open courtyard in his palace. He made the gravestone himself, but only put her name on there. Underneath her given name, he put her nickname in quotation marks.

He sat at her grave for a very long time. He felt empty inside, and he vowed to never let himself fall in love again. Eventually he heard a faint yip behind him. Erebus came walking to his side, whimpering because he was hungry. Sherlock stared at the puppy for a long time, before scooping hm up into his arms and standing up. He would take care of Erebus for Sally. He knew that's what Sally would have wanted. He would forever remember the love of his life, but never again allowing anyone else into his heart.

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